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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · ruler · mate · club · branch · file · rule · bulb

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rule — government
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mate — a friend
  11. file — a tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. file — a document
  14. spell — letters
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com